Red Bull Global Rallycross kicks off 2014 season at Top Gear Festival Barbados

Nelson Piquet, Jr., Ken Block, Tanner Foust among those to race in first outing of a 10-race schedule

Red Bull Global Rallycross will open its 2014 season on May 17-18 in Barbados in conjunction with Top Gear Festival Barbados. The series is poised to produce its best season yet, bringing the greatest lineup of drivers and teams in the world of motorsport, and the most exciting racing action on the planet to more locations than ever before.

“We are extremely excited for the future of our series, with the great support from our TV partner NBC, our amazing line-up of sponsors and the unprecedented manufacturer participation”

“We are extremely excited for the future of our series, with the great support from our TV partner NBC, our amazing line-up of sponsors and the unprecedented manufacturer participation,” said Red Bull Global Rallycross CEO Colin Dyne.

The series’ 10-race schedule features a number of new events in exciting and high-profile locations, and will be broadcast on network television. New partner NBC Sports Group will carry nine race broadcasts on the NBC broadcast network, primarily live, with re-airs on cable on the NBC Sports Network. The full 2014 Red Bull GRC schedule is as follows:
• May 17-18: Barbados
• June 7: Austin, TX
• June 21-22: Washington, DC
• July 19-20: New York, NY
• July 25-26: Charlotte, NC
• August 2-3: Detroit, MI
• August 22-23: Daytona, FL
• September 19-20: Los Angeles, CA
• September 26-27: Seattle, WA
• November 5: Las Vegas, NV

The series is proud to welcome Red Bull as its new primary strategic partner for the 2014 season, the first year of a multi-year relationship. Other new, best-in-class partnerships include tire supplier Yokohama, as well as Odyssey Battery and Fram Oil and Air Filters. These companies join an established list of series partners including Royal Purple, Sylvania, GoPro, and Motegi Racing, all of whom return from the 2013 season. Manufacturer partners include Ford, Subaru, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Chevrolet.

Two-time Red Bull GRC champion Tanner Foust, 2013 GRC Vegas winner Ken Block, and 2013 X Games Brazil gold medalist Scott Speed headline a driver list that also includes former Pikes Peak Hill Climb world record holder Rhys Millen, three-time European rallycross champion Sverre Isachsen, former F1 and NASCAR driver Nelson Piquet Jr. (shown above), and 2013 GRC Sportsmanship Award winner Bucky Lasek. Emma Gilmour, a three-time runner up in the New Zealand Rally Championship, will become the first female driver in series history in Barbados, joining a rookie class that includes 2013 GRC Lites champion Joni Wiman and 2012 K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year Austin Dyne.